K+ Decay: Speculative or Feasible?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the decay process of the K+ meson, specifically questioning the feasibility and speculative nature of this decay. Participants explore theoretical aspects, potential alternative decay routes, and the implications of Feynman diagrams in understanding this process.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions the speculative nature of the K+ decay process, expressing skepticism about its feasibility.
  • Another participant references the Particle Data Group (PDG) booklet as a source for information on K+ decay.
  • A participant notes the presence of a Feynman diagram related to the decay, describing the contributions from a W+ boson and a gluon, while expressing a sense of naivety regarding the complexity of the process.
  • One participant suggests that all possible decay processes will eventually occur given enough time, implying a broader perspective on decay phenomena.
  • A participant challenges the skepticism by asking for clarification on what aspects seem excessive and points out that the decay occurs only about 5% of the time.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the speculative nature of the K+ decay process, with some questioning its feasibility while others defend its plausibility based on theoretical frameworks. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the existence of alternative decay routes.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference Feynman diagrams and perturbation theory, indicating a reliance on specific theoretical frameworks that may not encompass all aspects of the decay process. There is an acknowledgment of the complexity involved in understanding decay mechanisms.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in particle physics, decay processes, and theoretical models in high-energy physics may find this discussion relevant.

billbray
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Please see the attcahed image of K+ decay...

Question is - does anyone know how speculative this decay process is?? It just seems so far fetched.
 

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you can look it up in the particle data group booklet
 
Yes, I saw it in the PDG mesons summary table, albeit without a feynman diagram. The feynman diagram shows everything between the up (at the top of the diagram) and the anti-up (at the bottom) coming from a w+ boson, half of it from a subsequent massive decay from a gluon. Being naive, it seems a bit much for nature to do.

My actual question is, does anyone know of any arlternative routes to this decay that have been proposed? All of my searches keep coming back to this one.

thanks
 
everything that is possible will occur if we wait long enough

recall that that is just one diagram in the full perturbation expansion of the scattering matrix, nature does not "calculate" decays with perturbation theory and feynman diagrams I think ;- )
 
What don't you like about this? why do you think it is "too much for nature to do"? (And remember, this only happens about 5% of the time)
 

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